Rare Crocodile Jawbone Unearthed by Amateur Fossil Hunter

0:00On April 22nd, an amateur fossil hunter named Heather Salt struck gold on a beach walk in Lime Regis, England, spotting what turned out to be a super. Rare upper jawbone from the world's oldest marine crocodile. This 200 million-year-old piece is one of just 11 known fossils worldwide from the species, Turner Sukus, Hingliai, a Filato Sukian that ruled early gerasticsees. She first mistook it for a chunk of wood pierced with rusty nails amid beach debris, but her guide Casey Rich flipped out when she showed him, calling. Over the whole group, they rested to the Lime Regis Museum curator, Dr. Paul Davis, who confirmed it was crock and got hyped about its value. Heather, who just wanted a simple ammonite for her collection, ended up donating the jawbone after learning its importance, and yeah, she still snagged that ammonite too. Casey thought it might be an ithyosaur first, but crock? That's next level rare, especially from that critical evolution window.

1:01This ties back to the original charm of crocodile found nearby in 2017 by other amateurs, kicking off the museum's exhibit where the new. Fine now sits on display. These fossils fill huge gaps in crocodile amorph history, showing how these seed dwellers adapted fast for ocean hunting. Dr. Davis says the jaw will unlock secrets on how it snagged fish back then, pushing forward our grasp of ancient marine life evolution right from. Those early gerastic waters.